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Subject:Referring to on-line help from printed manuals From:hedley_finger -at- myob -dot- com -dot- au To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 23 Nov 2000 10:53:57 +1000
All:
In the rush to get rid of the manual, many of us are contemplating how to
SHRINK the manual.
YOUR EXPERIENCE OF COMPLEMENTARY DOCUMENTATION
Has anybody experienced manual/help combinations where, to get the full
picture, you had to refer from the manual to the help?
What kinds of material were kept in the manual: procedures, reference
(descriptions, explanations, definitions, window and dialogue fields and
controls descriptions, classified data such as look-up tables of values)?
What kinds of material were kept in the on-line help: procedures,
reference (descriptions, explanations, definitions, window and dialogue
fields and controls descriptions, classified data such as look-up tables of
values)?
What degree of overlap or duplication was there, where particular
information types appeared in both media? What kinds of information were
overlapped?
If you were to divide user documentation between a manual and on-line help,
where would you make the cut?
As a user of this kind of complementary documentation, what was your
reaction? Did you like or dislike this approach? What strengths and
weaknesses did it have?
WHAT DOCUMENTATION DELIVERY DO YOU PREFER
Personally, I prefer a book. I can stick bookmarks in it, keep my fingers
in several places at once, write notes on it, add entries to the index in
ink, etc. It works without electricity and doesn't cover up the
application I am trying to use.
In my experience, Microsoft Office help is excellent and you don't really
need a manual -- which is fortunate. FrameMaker? Bloody useless unless
you only want to find out how to do beginner things. Lotus Notes? Over
comprehensive and maddeningly frustrating; very poor search and navigation.
They can't seem to use terms I am familiar with from other apps so it's a
venture into the unknown.
Your preferences (bigger is preferred, smaller is non-preferred):
Print only (no help) 1 2 3 4 5
Help only (no print) 1 2 3 4 5
Print, help same contnt 1 2 3 4 5
Complementary as above 1 2 3 4 5
Regards,
Hedley
--
Hedley Finger
Technical Communications/Technical communicator and FrameMaker mentor
MYOB Australia
P.O. box 371 Blackburn VIC 3130 Australia
<mailto:hedley_finger -at- myob -dot- com -dot- au>
Tel. +61 3 9894 0945
Mob. +61 412 461 558
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